Meeting Shedders at the UK Men’s Sheds get-together

For the past three years, the Warm Welcome Campaign has had a stand at Shedfest, the annual gathering of the UK Men’s Sheds Association (UKMSA).

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For those who don’t know, Men’s Sheds are community spaces where people, mostly men, gather to connect, feel less alone and build stronger communities.

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Men’s Sheds are just like Warm Welcome Spaces which help people feel safe, connected and supported in their local area.

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We were at Shedfest again earlier in August to encourage Men’s Sheds to register as Warm Welcome Spaces. We met Shedders from St Austell in Cornwall up to Lincoln and over from Wales, a relatively easy journey to the Worcester Arena Shedfest venue.

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There were plenty of stories of how Men’s Sheds change lives, from the man who said he’d struggled with anxiety and a sense of isolation before joining his local Men’s Shed, which had given him the confidence to go to an event like Shedfest.

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We met a man who was just beginning to think about opening a Men’s Shed in his area and wondering how to go about it. He fell into conversation with someone who chairs his local Men’s Shed in Wales, who offered lots of practical advice and tips.

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We met Shedders we’d met in previous years, and enjoyed some dad jokes from Wales.

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Among the other exhibitors were health charities such as Cancer Research UK, Asthma & Lung UK and the Prostate Cancer Support Group, organisations such as the Lions Club as well as wood turners, the Royal British Legion, Movember and UKMSA Armed Forces Lead.

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Among the exhibitors was Remap, a charity that designs and creates bespoke equipment and adaptations to help disabled people overcome everyday challenges and live more independently. They brought along a range of their adapted equipment, giving visitors the chance to see some of the creative and practical ways their work can make everyday life a little easier. 

Upstairs from the exhibition hall, Shedders heard from the Annual General Meeting of the UKMSA, as well as a keynote from retired London Fire Commissioner and Chair of the Building Safety Regulator Andy Roe. Other talks covered better health, influencing and web design through to the practicalities of PAT testing and the use of natural insecticides, compost and soft wood cuttings.

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Shedfest truly is a varied event, and so wonderful to see men (and a few women) celebrating the impact Men’s Sheds have on wellbeing and community resilience.

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